REMI WOLF — ‘BIG IDEAS’

Writer’s Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Finding your footing on your second album is something many artists have been plagued by throughout history. The term “sophomore slump” has been coined for a reason and has claimed many victims. Thankfully, Remi Wolf has not fallen victim to this age-old curse.

With the release of ‘Big Ideas’, the California native absorbs the spirit of her home state and the sounds of California seep through every single second of this album. Sun-soaked, beachy, joyous pop rock with an undercurrent of sadness and yearning flows seamlessly from track to track. An undeniable energy and presence is felt through your speakers and really pulls you in closer to Remi Wolf’s orbit with each passing track. This is truly a star-making record that has levelled up one of the most exciting artists in the world.

From the first time I heard ‘Cinderella’ it was very obvious to me that this album was not something to be slept on. Remi Wolf’s music has always been big and loud but a lot of it before this felt like she needed our attention, the outro of ‘Quiet On Set’ is the prime example of this. Remi felt like she was screaming at us “Please notice me! Listen to this! You have to hear this!” Yet, with ‘Cinderella’ she felt laid back and ready to let us come to her. It’s still high energy and it is still in your face but her attitude seems to have morphed over the years and that feels very clear throughout this.

There isn’t a bad track on this album but the song ‘Wave’ really stands out head and shoulders above the rest. Genre-bending, intense and severely catchy this song taps into a side of Remi Wolf we hadn’t seen before and quite frankly, a side I didn’t think existed. A huge, booming chorus crashing down over us out of seemingly nowhere but somehow not at odds with the contrasting, slower verses. It feels like something completely new for her and it is entirely unexpected from her but it absolutely works!

Elsewhere, songs like ‘Toro’, ‘Cherries & Cream’ and ‘Kangaroo’ carry the trademark energy and carefree nature that we’ve come to love Remi Wolf for yet none of the lyrics suffer throughout. Deep, raw, honest and sometimes heartbreaking looks into the soul of Remi Wolf are offered up with each song here. Whether she’s grappling with the internal struggle of wanting to settle down that fights with her love of her career and her desire to continue living this life on ‘Motorcycle’ or she looks at her internal insecurities and doubts around her career and how long she has left to do this on ‘Just The Start’ we see a side of Remi she hasn’t typically drawn attention to before. Yes, the big, bombastic disco pop songs to shake your arse in a million directions to, those are still here! But it was clear she wants us to see this side of her. The writing is impeccable and really helps you to see just how much she’s come along as an artist.

As we’ve just passed the halfway point of the year, ‘Big Ideas’ makes a serious case to leap right into the number one spot in my Album Of The Year list and it probably will with more listens. Remi Wolf’s growth as an artist is incredible and when you listen to a project like ‘Juno’ or ‘I’m Allergic To Dogs’ you can really see that. The fun loving, carefree and fun Remi is still so obviously there and this album isn’t a departure form what brought her to the dance by any means, but her maturity and growth from album to album is very obvious and it makes for a much more rounded and complete version of what she is. ‘Big Ideas’ takes the big leaps to cement Remi Wolf as one of the best up and comers of the moment and ‘Big Ideas’ cements itself as one of the year’s unquestionable best releases.